Adriana Varela-St. Clair

Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor

Licensed in North Carolina, pending in Kentucky

Adriana is from Southern California, where she grew up in a bilingual Spanish-speaking home. After receiving degrees in English and Italian from the University of Southern California, she lived in Italy for several years working and studying. She pursued graduate studies in Italian language and culture at Middlebury College and Indiana University Bloomington. While living in Italy, she became interested in the history of Italian viticulture and wine production and later earned a Sommelier certification from L’Associazione Italiana Sommeliers. 

Adriana returned to California, where she worked in the restaurant and wine industry in the San Francisco Bay Area for several years. She began her professional path in clinical mental health counseling after reflecting on the most meaningful aspects of her life experiences: listening to and helping others; building connections and finding community; sharing knowledge and learning from others; practicing compassion, patience, humility, and non-judgment. 

Adriana relocated to North Carolina to attend Wake Forest University’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling program. While earning her Master’s, she completed her clinical internship at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where she worked with high school and college students through important life changes, identity exploration, family dynamics, and other mental health concerns. 

Adriana continued working with young adults at Appalachian State University's Counseling and Psychological Services Center in Boone, NC for 5 years. She provided individual psychotherapy and facilitated a variety of skills-based (DBT, Social, Trauma Recovery) and support/processing (LGBTQIA+, BIPOC) therapy groups. She also coordinated outreach programming to increase awareness of, demystify, and destigmatize seeking support for mental health concerns. 

Adriana helps clients with a variety of concerns including anxiety, grief and loss, eating and body image concerns, depression, and other mood disorders. She supports clients as they explore their gender and/or sexual identities and reflect on childhood experiences, family dynamics, and relationships. She helps clients develop skills to cope with difficult feelings, experiences, and traumatic life events. She values working with LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and other individuals and families impacted by sociopolitical and other identity-related stressors. She is dedicated to helping members of minoritized groups not only manage stressors, but also connect to the history, beauty, culture, and joy of their identities. 

Adriana's counseling practice draws from a variety of therapeutic orientations. Her person-centered, trauma-informed approach to therapy is based on feminist and other multicultural frameworks. Adriana frequently incorporates mindfulness and breathwork, as well as a variety of cognitive (ACT, CBT, DBT) techniques and skills. She collaborates with clients with respect and commitment to understanding their unique life experiences and therapy goals, with careful attention to cultivating safety, trust. She is dedicated to connecting clients to additional supports, resources, and opportunities. She is a National Certified Counselor (NCC), a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) in North Carolina, and a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPCC) in Kentucky1. She is excited and proud to join the Mandala House team, in part due to its dedication to supporting and advocating for the wellbeing of members of LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and other historically underserved communities. 

Adriana enjoys live music, drag shows, and the nostalgia of collecting music on physical media. She enjoys puns, running jokes, and failed humor (usually her own). She loves fireflies, butterflies, dragonflies, and bats, especially on foggy mornings or at sunset. She’s new to Louisville and is enjoying introducing her Belgian Shepherd mix Lulu to all the squirrels in their new neighborhood. She’s also excited to explore Louisville’s many exciting scenes with her partner Michael, especially Louisville’s restaurants, museums, music, arts, and queer communities – not to mention its beautiful historic cemeteries and parks.